Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, will commemorate the first anniversary of the signing of the federal health-care law on Wednesday with birthday cake and a roundtable discussion with Santa Barbara families from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 23 at Shoreline Park.

Capps will talk specifically about how the health-care law has benefited children and families in its first year of implementation, focusing on the implementation of the Patient’s Bill of Rights, which banned lifetime limits on coverage and discrimination against children with pre-existing conditions.

Capps also will moderate a roundtable discussion with parents to hear their stories and feedback about what families are most concerned about when it comes to health care.

Included in the roundtable discussion will be Bill and Victoria Strong, founders of the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation, a nonprofit focused on spinal muscular atrophy named for their daughter.

“The health-care law has provided critical benefits for families in its first year of implementation,” Capps said. “It has given parents the confidence that their insurance coverage will be there for their families when they need it most. Parents no longer have to worry that their child will hit his or her lifetime cap on coverage or be denied insurance because of a pre-existing condition. I am very much looking forward to commemorating the first anniversary of the health-care law with Santa Barbara families and getting their feedback as to how we can do better.”

— Ashley Schapitl is press secretary for Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara.